Women's Rights and James Bond on March 8

International Women's Day is marked on March 8 every year. This year events are scheduled to take place in more than 100 countries around the world to commemorate the 100th anniversary (see the Washington Post's report).

In the United States, President Barack Obama proclaimed March 2011 to be "Women's History Month", calling Americans to mark IWD by reflecting on "the extraordinary accomplishments of women" in shaping the country's history. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton launched the "100 Women Initiative: Empowering Women and Girls through International Exchanges", you can read more about it here: http://bit.ly/gdosqR

Even James Bond took part in campaigning for women's rights this year with Daniel Craig crossdressing in We are Equal video.

International Women's Day (IWD) has an interesting history. The first IWD was observed on 19 March 1911 in Germany following a declaration by the Socialist Party of America. In 1910 the first international women's conference in Copenhagen established International Women's Day. It was suggested by the important German Socialist Clara Zetkin, although no date was specified.

The following year, 1911, IWD was marked by over a million people in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland, on 19 March. They demanded the right to vote to hold public office for women, as well as protested against employment sex discrimination.

In 1913 Russian women observed their first International Women's Day. Following the October Revolution, the Bolshevik Alexandra Kollontai persuaded Lenin to make it an official holiday in the Soviet Union, and it was established

In the West, International Women's Day was first observed as a popular event after 1977 when the United Nations General Assembly invited member states to proclaim March 8 as the UN Day for Women's Rights and International Peace. Learn more about it here: http://wapo.st/dHEUOv

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